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1949-50 United States National Senior Championship
These are the 1949-50 Amateur Hockey Association of the United States Championships: Participating Teams *Eastern Hockey League: New York Rovers *Eastern Hockey League: Toledo Buckeyes *International Hockey League: Chatham Maroons *Northern Amateur League: Eveleth Rangers *Western International Hockey League: Spokane Flyers New York Rovers won the Eastern League playoff title. Toledo Buckeyes won the Eastern League regular season title. Quarter Final Best of 3 Toledo Buckeyes beat Eveleth Rangers 2 wins to none. Semi Finals Best of 7 Spokane Flyers beat New York Rovers 4 wins to 3. Best of 3 Chatham Maroons beat Toledo Buckeyes 2 wins to none. Final Note: The Spokane Flyers had advertised their semi final with the New York Rovers as the National Championship Final. The Flyers were not willing to cheat their fans by playing another final against the Chatham Maroons. Also the players were very tired. The Amateur Hockey Association of the United States ruled all this a misunderstanding and named Spokane and Chatham as co-champions. Spokane tried to arrange a challenge series during the following season but Chatham was not interested. Description From the Spokane Jets 1973-74 Guide By Paul Delaney 1950 Flyers--National Champs In 1969-70 the Spokane Jets won their first Allan Cup, but twenty years before (in 1949-50), the Spokane Flyers won their second national (AHAUS) title by defeating the New York Rovers four games to three. The Flyers, with Wyatt "Scoop" Bentley as (playing) coach, began their assault on a WIHL championship with a five game exhibition schedule with Seattle (Bombers), Calgary Stampeders, and Edmonton Flyers; winning one, losing two and tieing two. A 2-1 loss at Edmonton was witnessed by more than 6,000 fans. A 3-0 whitewash of the Kimberley Dynamiters opened the regular season, and the Flyers reeled off seven wins and a tie in their first ten games. Five months later, Spokane clinced the league crown, when they tied the Trail Smoke Eaters 4-4, at the (Elm Street) Arena in Spokane. Playdowns Spokane opened the playoff with Trail, winning the first game 11-3. Trail took the second game but lost 4-2 and 2-1 in the final two games (for the WIHL Championship). Not being eligible for further Canadian competition, the Flyers looked to other United States teams to continue in the playoffs. In the east, the New York Rovers, the team Spokane played the year before in the national playdowns, was engaged in a playoff with Milwaukee; the winner getting to play Spokane for national honours. The Rovers won the series and game one for the championship was set for April 8. The Rovers came to town loaded. They had a young crewcut goalie named Gump Worsley, and a big defenceman named Ray Hamilton. Worsley later went on to play with New York, Montreal and Minnesota in the National Hockey League, while Hamilton came back to British Columbia to play for the Trail Smoke Eaters. Frank Sullivan, the Flyers pickup player from Kimberley, notched the winning goal of the first game, two minutes and two seconds into overtime, for a 3-2 Spokane win, before a packed house of 2,811 in the old Elm Street Arena. Things got a little tough from then on out. New York won the next three games, 4-1, 3-2 and 3-1 before Spokane, with their backs to the wall, won 5-2. Spokane built up a 3-1 lead, and held on to win game six 3-2, and then captured the series on April 19 with a 5-2 win. Team Photos 49-50ChaMar.jpg|Chatham Maroons 1949-50_Spokane_Flyers.jpg|Spokane Flyers 49-50SpokaneFlyers2.jpg|Spokane Flyers Game Ads 49-50USNatSpokaneGameAd.jpg|Spokane 49-50USNatSpokaneGameAd2.jpg|Spokane 49-50USatSFToledoGameAd.jpg|Semi Final @ Toledo See Also United States National Senior Hockey Championships Category:United States Senior Hockey Category:1950 in hockey